Bowfishing arrow slide

ABSTRACT

In aspects of the invention, an arrow slide is provided with a body having a first opening with a plurality of first edges arranged in a generally triangular configuration within which a first diameter can be received, a second opening with a plurality of second edges arranged in the generally triangular configuration within which the first diameter can be received; sidewalls linking corresponding ones of the first plurality of edges to the plurality of second edges to create a passageway extending from the first opening to the second opening through which an arrow can slide; and a string mount to which a bowfishing line can be joined.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable. REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING”

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to bowfishing arrows and moreparticularly to slides linking the bowfishing arrow to a retractionline.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Bowfishing is a method of fishing that uses a bow and arrow to fish. Ingeneral an arrow having a barbed tip is shot into a fish. The arrow hasa line joined to it that allows the fisher to pull in the fish.

It will be appreciated that tethering an arrow to a line createspotential challenges in that such a line should be positioned so that itdoes not interfere with the operation of the bow or interfere with thetrajectory of the arrow in flight. There have been a number of attemptsaddress these difficulties.

In one example, shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,453, entitledBowfishing Arrow Attachment, issued to LaSee on Feb. 11, 2003 animproved bowfishing arrow is shown that is said to prevent thebowfishing line from tangling with the bow string during release whichcan cause the arrow to snap back to cause serious injury. The improvedarrow is said to achieve this prevention by including a cylindricalslide and a stop on the arrow shaft. The bowfishing line is tied to theslide which stays in front of the archer's hand and the arrow restduring drawback. After arrow release, the slide slides back to the stop,which is located close to the rearward end of the arrow. The stop isdesigned to not touch the arrow rest or the bow handle during release.Because the slide slides back to the rearward end of the arrow duringrelease, the rubbing of the fishing line against the arrow shaft andthus the wear of the fishing line is said to be greatly reduced. Thestop itself has a dampening material against which the slide can beadvanced.

In embodiments, the slide has internal grooves formed in its interiorsurface. These grooves are formed so that grains of sand do not wedgebetween the slide and the arrow shaft. The slide further has lateralprojections that serve as vanes. The vanes provide directional stabilityfor the arrow both in air and water, much like the feather or fletchingsattached to arrows not intended for bowfishing. In embodiments the lineis tied to the slide on opposite sides of the arrow.

Another example is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,109,852,entitled Bowfishing Arrow Slide With Overmolded Dampening MemberArrangement issued to Boester on Aug. 18, 2015. This patent includes aslide having a slide body configured to slide along an arrow shaft. Thearrangement further includes a stop used in cooperation with the slide.The stop is arrangeable on the arrow shaft in a manner to prevent theslide from sliding off of the arrow shaft. A dampening material issecured to the rear of the slide and arranged between the slide and thestop.

A further example is shown and described in US. Pub. No. 2017/029820,entitled Bowfishing Shaft Adapter Slide. In this publication. In thisapplication a bowfishing slide and a circumferential stop assembly areshown for use with a bowfishing arrow that may include matching shapesfor engaging one another in use. The engagement of such matching shapesis said to offer many improvements over conventional slide and stopassemblies, including an even circumferential distribution of impactbetween the slide and the stop as well as inhibiting relativelongitudinal or rotational movement between the slide and stopassemblies. The stop assembly may further include a nock adapter forengaging a nock, thereby serving as a dual purpose adapter. For ease ofuse and installation, the stop assembly may be adapted to fit snuglyover an arrow shaft.

These various approaches however can interfere with the trajectory ofthe arrow during flight. In particular, it will be appreciated thatarrow slides that are cylindrically fitted configurations engage thearrow along a significant length and that any contaminants must passthrough the entire length without interference. Even where the slide isgrooved to allow contaminant flow through such channels, unimpededtravel through the groove is not ensured creating a risk that a slidewill react to a contaminant in ways that exert unintended torque orother forces on the arrow that negatively influence arrow trajectory ororientation.

Additionally, string or line attachment can be challenging. It ispreferred to attach a string in such a way that distributes stress overa larger area to balance load on a string loop itself and on the slide.Doing this can help to reduce premature failure of lines or slides.

Therefore, a need exists for an improved arrow slide for use inbowfishing that can avoid these difficulties while being ready for lowcost reliable manufacturing and still providing user friendly assemblyand reliable function to an arrow and a bowfishing line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 shows a front elevation view of one embodiment of an arrow slide.

FIG. 2 shows a rear elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a top elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a side section view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 taken asshown in FIG. 3

FIG. 5 shows a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a front, top, left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 mounted toan arrow.

FIG. 8 is a section view of a slide and an arrow with contaminant on thearrow.

FIGS. 9 shows a front elevation view of another embodiment of an arrowslide.

FIG. 10 shows a rear, left side, top perspective view of the embodimentof FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 shows a front, left right side elevation of the embodiment ofFIG. 9.

FIG. 12 shows a left side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 9mounted to an arrow having a stop.

FIG. 13 shows a back, left, top perspective view of the embodiment ofFIG. 9 mounted to an arrow having a stop.

FIG. 14 shows a back, left, top perspective view of the embodiment ofFIG. 9 mounted to an arrow and sectioned.

FIG. 15 illustrates an end view of the embodiment of FIG. 9 mounted toan arrow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In aspects of the invention, an arrow slide is provided with a bodyhaving a first opening with a plurality of first edges arranged in agenerally triangular configuration within which a first diameter can bereceived, a second opening with a plurality of second edges arranged inthe generally triangular configuration within which the first diametercan be received; sidewalk linking corresponding ones of the firstplurality of edges to the plurality of second edges to create apassageway extending from the first opening to the second openingthrough which an arrow can slide; and a string mount to which abowfishing line can be joined.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a front view of one embodiment of an arrow slide 10 whileFIG. 2 shows a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows abottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 shows a side sectionview of the embodiment of FIG. 1 taken as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5shows a side view. FIG. 6 is a front, top, left side view of theembodiment of FIG. 1.

As is shown in FIGS. 1-6 arrow slide 10 has a slide body 12 with a firstopening 20. First opening 20 has a first plurality of generally edges22, 24, and 26 arranged in a generally polygonal configuration. A secondopening 30 has a second plurality of generally configured edges 32, 34and 36 arranged in a generally polygonal configuration.

A plurality of sidewalls 42, 44 and 46 link corresponding ones of thefirst plurality of edges 22, 24 and 26 with second plurality of edges32,34, and 36. In the embodiment that is illustrated, sidewall 42 linksedges 22 and 32, sidewall 44 links edges 24 and 34 and sidewall 46 linksedges 26 and 36 to create a passageway 50 extending from first opening20 to second opening 30 through which an arrow (not shown in FIGS. 1-5)can slide.

In embodiments, sidewalls 42, 44 and 46 may extend laterally in agenerally planar fashion until sidewalls 42, 44 and 46 intersect. In theembodiment illustrated sidewalls 42 and 44 are linked by a first corner52, sidewalls 44 and 46 are linked by a second corner 54 and sidewalk 46and 42 are linked by a third corner 56. The use of corners 52, 54, and56 helps to reduce the overall diameter of slide 10 and further helps toprovide additional stability at each corner.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-6, corners 52, 54 and 56 are notconfigured to make contact with an arrow inserted into slide 10.Accordingly, the diameter of a cylindrical object that can pass throughslide 10 is determined based upon sidewalls 42, 44, and 46.

Edges 22, 24 and 26 of first opening 20 and edges 32, 34 and 36 ofsecond opening 30 are defined to admit a cylindrical object having afirst diameter 70. However, sidewalls 42, 44 and 46 are sloped to form awaist portion 60 between first opening 20 and second opening 30 having asecond diameter 72 that allows relative sliding movement of an arrow andslide 10 but has a smaller diameter than first diameter 70.

Waist 60 therefore comprises at least one point of primary contactbetween slide 10 and any arrow inserted through slide 10. It will beappreciated that waist 60 maintains this contact only within a limitedrange of longitudinal positions proximate to waist 60 and that suchcontact is generally limited both longitudinally by the slope ofsidewalls and any shaping of the sidewalls at waist 60.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of a slide 10 mounted to an arrow 100.It will be understood that by virtue of this arrangement a slide 10positioned on an arrow 100 will have a degree of pivotal movementavailable before slide 10 and an associated line 112 asserts any forcemeaningful force against arrow 100 during flight. This can dampen minorforces exerted on slide 10 by line 112.

Additionally, it will be appreciated that using slide 10, the amount oftorque that can be applied to arrow 100 is limited by the reduced extentof the longitudinal engagement between slide 10 and arrow 100. This isparticularly advantageous when compared to other approaches that usecylindrical mountings that extend for several centimeters along the axisof an arrow and therefore can convey significantly more torque to arrow100.

The amount of torque that can be applied to arrow 100 by slide 10 isfurther reduced by the limited extent of friction between slide 10 andarrow 100. That is, the limited extent of surface area in contactbetween slide 10 and arrow 100 limits the frictional forces betweenslide 10 and arrow 100.

It will be appreciated that in the embodiment illustrated here, sidewalk42, 44 and 46 are arranged such that they confront arrow 100 withnon-concentric surfaces. Accordingly, these sidewalls generally engagearrow 100 at points that are tangential to the curved radius of theexterior surface of arrow 100. This limits the extent to which sidewalls42, 44 and 46 engage arrow 100 along a lateral axis further reducingfriction.

FIG. 8 is a section view of a slide 10 and an arrow 100 with contaminant130 on the arrow. As is shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment there aresubstantially smaller opportunities to allow contamination on arrow 100to get between slide 10 and arrow 100 in places of narrow clearance. Asis shown here the generally tangential nature of the engagement betweensidewalls 42, 44, and 46 significantly limits the number of positionsabout the perimeter of an arrow 100 along which such a contaminant 130might be positioned where contaminant 130 may interfere with themovement of slide 10. Additionally, corner portions 52, 54, and 56provide significant areas in which large contaminants may be bypassed ordiverted to allow smooth motion. This may also reduce the risks thatcontaminant 130 will degrade arrow 100 or slide 10.

Such corner portions also allow air and water to flow between slide 10and arrow 100 during flight of the arrow to limit air or waterresistance caused by slide 10.

Also shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8, slide 10 has a body 12 thatalso incorporates a line mounting 114 comprising a passageway 116 formedon one side of arrow 100. Passageway 116 has radiused corners 126 and128 which provide a protected area within which forces can be appliedagainst line 112 over a broader area to help protect line 112 fromdamage.

FIGS. 9-15 illustrate another embodiment of a slide 10 having a lighterweight and different form factor while still providing a slide body 10,a first opening 20, a second opening 30, sidewalls 42, 44 and 46,corners 52, 54 and 56 and a waist 60 that can provide, in embodiments,one or more advantages and benefits described above. FIG. 9 shows afront elevation view of this embodiment of an arrow slide, FIG. 10 showsa rear, left side, top perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 9,FIG. 11 shows a front, left right side elevation of the embodiment ofFIG. 9, FIG. 12 shows a left side elevation view of the embodiment ofFIG. 9 mounted to an arrow having a stop. FIG. 13 shows a back, left,top perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 9 mounted to an arrowhaving a stop. FIG. 14 shows a back, left, top perspective view of theembodiment of FIG. 9 mounted to an arrow and sectioned and FIG. 15illustrates an end view of the embodiment of FIG. 9 mounted to an arrow.

As can be seen in FIGS. 9-15, this embodiment, corners 52, 54 and 56 areshown configured to provide additional structural support for managingimpact forces associated with contacting a stop 102.

FIGS. 12-15 illustrate the embodiment of FIG. 9 mounted to an arrowhaving a stop 102. A portion of line 112 is also shown. FIG. 14illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 9 mounted to an arrow and sectionedshowing passageway 50 and passageway 116. FIG. 15 illustrates an endview of the embodiment of FIG. 9 mounted to an arrow.

It will be appreciated that in either of the embodiments of FIGS. 1-8and FIGS. 9-16, the limited surface area of arrow slide 10 in contactwith arrow 100 at waist 60 imposes a constraint on the extent offrictional forces that can arise at waist 60 when arrow slide 10 ismoved relative to arrow 100 and that this constraint can enable the useof materials or processes in forming arrow slide 10 that are unavailablewith designs involving more significant surface area in contact betweenarrow slide 10 and arrow 100.

For example, in embodiments, body 20 can be fabricated or otherwiseprovided using a material that has a high tear resistance such as a hardplastic material having limited elongation or an elastomer material thatis softer but is capable of greater resiliency.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference toa presently preferred embodiment, but it will be understood thatvariations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scopeof the invention. The presently disclosed embodiments are thereforeconsidered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. Thescope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims, and allchanges that come within the meaning and range of equivalents thereofare intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An arrow slide comprising: a body having: a firstopening with a plurality of first edges arranged in a generallytriangular configuration within which a first diameter can be received;a second opening with a plurality of second edges arranged in thegenerally triangular configuration within which the first diameter canbe received; sidewalls linking corresponding ones of the first pluralityof edges to the plurality of second edges to create a passagewayextending from the first opening to the second opening through which anarrow can slide; and a string mount to which a bowfishing line can bejoined.
 2. The arrow slide of claim 1, wherein the sidewalls are slopedto form a waist portion between the first opening and the second openinghaving a second diameter that allows relative sliding movement of slideand an arrow in the passageway but has a smaller diameter than firstdiameter.
 3. The arrow slide of claim 2, wherein the waist portioncontacts an arrow in the passageway along a range of longitudinalpositions that is limited by the slope of the sidewalls at the waist. 4.The arrow slide of claim 2, wherein the slide has a degree of pivotalmovement about the waist to dampen forces exerted on the slide by a linejoined to the string mount.
 5. The arrow slide of claim 3, wherein anamount of torque that can be applied to an arrow in the passagewaybefore pivotal movement of the arrow slide is limited by the limitedlongitudinal range of the waist.
 6. The arrow slide of claim 4, whereinan amount of torque applied by an arrow slide can be applied to an arrowin the passageway is limited by the limited extent of friction betweenthe limited surface area of the waist in contact with the arrow.
 7. Thearrow slide of claim 1, wherein the sidewalls are configured togenerally tangentially confront the arrow.
 8. The arrow slide of claim1, wherein the sidewalls are joined by corners that are not configuredto make contact with an arrow in the passageway to provide areas betweenthe corners in the passageway and the arrow through which at least oneof air water and contaminant can pass between the slide and the arrow.9. The arrow slide of claim 1, wherein the mount comprises a secondpassageway in the body through which a bowfishing line can be joined formounting to the arrow slide.
 10. The arrow slide of claim 1, wherein themount comprises a second passageway in the body through which abowfishing string can be joined wherein the second passageway has aradiused opening area within which forces can be applied against thebowfishing line over a broader area to help protect the line fromdamage.